


A Groovy Kind of Love

by gazeboseddie



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Aged up characters, High School AU, M/M, Mike isn't homeschooled, Modern AU, They're all in high school, and anxiety in general, background benverly, background reddie, bi!stan, bill's the new kid, derry is kinda homophobic, idk about bill yet, no pennywise, stan has mild OCD, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-01-29 05:46:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12624528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gazeboseddie/pseuds/gazeboseddie
Summary: New kid, Bill Denbrough, is greeted at his new school by the Loser's Club. Stan is trying to figure out himself and does he have a crush on the new kid?-modern&new kid au





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a new family in town, a new boy in school and his name is Bill Denbrough.

No one ever moved to and from Derry, Maine. It just didn’t happen. The town was small, everyone knew each other. Everyone judged each other. They thought they knew each other. Knowing of someone and knowing about someone were two different things. Sure, there were a few things you’d know about Stanley when you saw him. For starters, he had neat, curly hair, wore his clothes neatly, and he seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. But those were just appearances.

He had only a few close friends, five friends to be exact. Could he go to any of them for advice? Probably. Would he? No. But that was just the type of person Stanley was. He much rather be alone with his own thoughts. He knew it was unhealthy to not seek help from those around him, but he just couldn’t allow himself to seek help. He couldn’t bring himself to. He was afraid that he’d be thought of as weak so he never brought it.

It was second period, Chemistry, which he shared with Bev when he saw the new kid. He had heard the rumors about a new family moving in just a few streets away from his family. No one ever moved to Derry, so the news spread quickly. Students had already begun to spread rumors before the family had even moved in. Once the  _sold_  sign stood in front of the house, people began to talk. That included Stan’s group of friends, everyone referred to them as losers. They took it with a grain of salt and began to call themselves losers.

“Listen up, everyone,” Mrs. Barr called out, her class instantly shushing. She had the reputation of being a mean teacher and no one dared to cross her. “This is your new classmate, William Denbrough.”

“B-B-Bill,” the new kid looked at their teacher, correcting her with a stuttered. Stan wondered if he always stuttered like that or if he were just nervous. Maybe both. He could already hear all the jokes that would begin once their teacher wasn’t listening. Stan’s phone buzzed in his pocket, he looked around the room and then at their teacher to make sure there wasn’t any attention on him.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and set it carefully on his lap. He looked at the new kid and then at his teacher before turning his attention towards his phone.

_**from Beverly: new loser?  
to Beverly: Maybe.** _

Stan always spoke with proper grammar even through text. Texting with Richie was a…struggle. To put it lightly. Stan was that type of person where everything had to be in order or else it would be ruined. He was one of the first people to arrive at classes, he’d set his textbook to his right and his notebook to his left. Then he’d had two number two pencils, three highlighters, one blue pen and one black.

He puts his phone back into his pocket and turns his attention back to the front of the classroom. “-about yourself.” Stan didn’t catch the complete sentence, but he assumed she told him to talk about himself. He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t at least a little bit interested in learning about the new kid. He wanted to know why his family moved to Derry of all places, there were so many better places to move to. Stan had always wanted to move to California.

“M-my dad g-g-got a j-juh-job h-here,” Bill stuttered out. His face was turning a bright red and Stan felt kind of bad for the boy. It must have been embarrassing to have all that attention on him. The stutter wasn’t helping any either. “I-I have a l-l-lit-le b-br-uh-ther n-n-n-” He cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed that he couldn’t get his words out. “G-Georgie.” Bill looked like he was done talking, probably afraid to embarrass himself any further.

“Well, Bill, we welcome you to our school. You can take a seat next to Beverly.” Stan turned to look over at his friend at the back of the room. She was ready to sink her claws into the new boy, ready to invite him into their little club. Maybe he was the missing member they had been looking for. It had always felt like their group wasn’t truly complete.

* * *

“Everyone, this is Bill!” Beverly’s excited voice rings through Stan’s ears as he set up his lunch. He doesn’t look up though, he’s too preoccupied. His friends knew how he could get if he didn’t set out his lunch perfectly. First, he’d put down his sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly, cut into triangles. Then his fruit, which rotated between sliced apples and a banana. Today was sliced apples. He always packed a protein bar, that was pulled out next. Then finally, his water bottle. Once he was prepared, he looked up from his food.

Only to meet blue eyes. Bill’s eyes. Stan quickly looked away, a small blush forming on his cheeks. He must have seemed so rude when he didn’t acknowledge the new kid like the rest of his friends. “You already know Stan from Chem,” Bev’s cheery voice made Stan feel less awkward about the sudden eye contact. “But that’s Eddie, Mike, Ben, and Trashmouth.” She said Ben’s name is a sticky sweet tone. The two had been dating for about two months and the other losers were happy for their friends.

“Yeah, trash the trashmouth why don’t ya!” Richie’s voice was incredibly loud.  _And irritating_. “Richie Tozier, at your service, my good sir.” Ugh, not that clearly fake British accent again. “Just come to me if you want a good laugh!”

“Yeah, when you fall on your face because you don’t tie your shoes,” Stan speaks up with an eye roll. Bill chuckles at the joke which causes Stan’s cheeks to warm. What was going on with him?

Stan had never gone out and said it, but he found himself looking at guys the same way he, and other boys in his classes, looked at girls. He was always taught that boys like girls and anything else was wrong. But it didn’t feel wrong to him when Richie shamelessly flirted with Eddie in front of the gang. Bev talked about girls too, before she started dating Ben of course. Stan had needed to know what he was feeling and it was normal. He had searched different sexualities and had stumbled upon a few that seemed fitting. He was always shifting between bisexual and pansexual, he wasn’t sure how he felt about it all. He wasn’t one to explore his sexuality. He wasn’t in a very safe place to do so either. He was the son of a Rabi after all.

Everyone in Derry seemed to be closed minded, regardless of their background. It didn’t matter the religion, the gender, or the color of your skin. Everyone in Derry just seemed to judge each other. There really was no winning in a small town like Derry. That’s why Stan wanted to get away. He wanted to graduate with his friends and he wanted them all to get out of this town.

The conversation soon turns towards Richie again, but Stan doesn’t pay him any mind. Instead, he chews ten times for each bite he takes. He takes a sip from his water before carefully setting it down. His attention is drawn to Beverly when she asks him a question. “Are you going to that party on Friday?” Of course, Stan had heard about the big party one of the seniors was throwing. Stan wasn’t interested. Stan only rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“A p-p-party?” Bill spoke up in a tiny voice. Stan turned his attention towards the new kid. He took in his features. Beautiful blue eyes, tall and skinny but toned, a nice jawline. He looked as though he had played sports before transferring schools. Maybe he’d go to the party. But only if Bill Denbrough was going.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Losers invite Bill to hang out with them at a local arcade. Stan and Bill get to know each other a little bit better.

Beverly had been the one to invite Bill to all of the Losers hangouts, not that anyone was complaining though. He seemed like a good fit in their little gang. Even if Stan was incredibly anxious around Bill, he still enjoyed his company. He still had three days to go until he decided if he was going to this party. It hadn’t really come up since their conversation at lunch. Stan had to make sure that Bill was going to this party or else he’d never make up his mind. He didn’t want to not show up and Bill be there.

Was he going to make a move? No. Was he even going to talk to Bill? Probably not. But he was still willing to venture out of his comfort zone in order to be in the same room. Bill had only been in Stan’s life for two days and he was already completely smitten with the boy. He thought his stutter was cute, he didn’t mind having to wait a little bit longer for Bill to get a sentence out. He could tell when the other boy was getting frustrated though, Stan always wanted to comfort him. But someone always beat him to it, usually Mike when he put his hand on his shoulder. Stan was never the jealous type, but he couldn’t help it when he saw Mike giving Bill attention. It was completely ridiculous and irrational of him.

“Do you think he’s going to the party on Friday?” Stan asks Beverly as they walked between their classes. It was right after lunch, the two had class the same way and always walked together. Beverly was one of the only people that knew about Stan since she was the one helped him research different sexualities. He hadn’t come out and said that he was crushing hard on the new kid, but Beverly already knew. She knew everything.

“I think so,” Beverly shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it. She didn’t want Stan knowing that she had already caught on to his crush. “Are you going?”

“I don’t know,” Stan looked down at the books in his hands. “Ask me after we all hang out tonight.” The Losers were hanging out after school and invited Bill to tag along. It would be the first time they had hung out with him outside of school. He needed to get to know Bill better before he let this crush get any bigger. But, so far, he couldn’t think of a single flaw when it came to Bill Denbrough. Of course, he did have flaws. Everyone had flaws. Stan Uris was determined to figure out what Bill’s flaws were.

“I’ll help you get ready if you decide to come.” Bev knew how to get Stan to agree to things. Bev had makeup that Stan adored but could never wear around his parents because they’d disapprove. It wouldn’t be the first time the redheaded girl had done the curly haired boy’s makeup and it wouldn’t be the last. Stan only nodded before heading off to his class.

* * *

 

The Losers met up in a small run down arcade like they always did. Hanging out at each other’s houses was a no go so they usually hung out anywhere they could that wasn’t too close to home. “The cool thing about this place is that the entrance fee is cheap,” Richie was explaining to Bill. Since he was new to the neighborhood he didn’t know all the small gems inside the town. There were a very limited amount of places to hang out at.

“So is the food,” Eddie commented with a gag. Let’s just say the Losers knew which foods to avoid so they didn’t end up sick.

Stan wasn’t the biggest fan of the arcade but he was fine with watching the others or playing a few rounds of Dig Dug or Galaga. Sometimes he joined Ben in Pac-Man. He split from the group and went over to his favorite game, Dig Dug, and sat on the stool in front of the machine. He was getting into the game, so into the game that he didn’t notice he had a shadow watching him. It wasn’t until he had failed, not before beating his old record, that he noticed Bill had been watching him. “Yuh-you’re g-good,” Bill smiled.

“Thanks,” Stan blushed before hopping off the stool. “Do you want to try?” Bill shrugged before sitting down and putting a quarter into the machine. He didn’t get as far as Stan but he was impressed by the other boy’s skills. “Not bad, Denbrough.” A smile plastered on Stan’s lips.

“Th-thanks, Uris.”

“Come on,” Stan nodded his head towards a display of video games. One of the cool things about this arcade was that they didn’t just offer 80′s arcade games, they also had TVs and game stations set up for people to play video games. “I’ll show you one of my favorites.” He went up the counter of the arcade and asked the employee for two Game Cube controllers and Monkey Ball. He gave the employee his ID in exchange for the supplies. “So they know you’ll come back with their property,” Stan explained to a confused Bill, who had raised an eyebrow at the exchange.

The two went over to the gaming station and sat down in the folded chairs in front of the Game Cube. “Ever play Monkey Ball before?” Bill shook his head. “Well, there are different ways to play. We can raise each other, play mini-games, or we can play levels that get harder and harder.”

As time passed, they got more comfortable with each other and began to shit talk each other. Bill was actually really good and had won several times in the mini-games. “Are you sure you’ve never played before?” Stan said with an eyebrow raised.

Before Bill could answer, Richie called over to them. “Yo! Guys, come play Rock Band with us!” Stan rolled his eyes but Bill stood up to walk over to the rest of the group. Stan let out a small sigh as he cleaned up their controllers, wrapping them up, and grabbing the game. Once he gave the supplies back and he put his ID back in his wallet, he met back with the Losers. “You’re singing Stan the Man.”

“I never agreed to that,” Stan crossed his arms. Like hell, he was singing in front of Bill. “I rather just watch.”

“Aw! Stanny Boy that’s no fun! You sing for us all the time!”

Stan looked over at any of the other Losers for help before locking eyes with Beverly. “I’ll sing,” she spoke up, grabbing the microphone from Richie. He mouthed her a thank you before sitting in a beanie bag nearby.

“Fine, I guess,” Richie whined. He grabbed the guitar. Bill was bass and Mike was drums. Ben and Eddie were too busy with a game of pinball to care about Rock Band. “Stanny can pick the song.”

Bev handed Stan the controller so he could pick the song. Instead of playing one song, he made a small playlist. Richie tried to protest, saying that he said one song, but Bev covered his mouth. Once his playlist was done, he let them begin their game.

_1\. A Little Less Sixteen Candles - Fall Out Boy_  
2\. Nine in the Afternoon - Panic! at the Disco  
3\. Handlebars - Flobots  
4\. One Week - Barenaked Ladies

He knew that Bev was going to hate him for choosing the last two songs, but he enjoyed them and wanted to see how well each member of the band did. It was always interesting to watch someone play Rock Band. Richie got way too into it but everyone else seemed to be having a good time. Stan couldn’t help but keep looking over at Bill, who was doing a pretty good job. Their eyes met at one point in time which made Stan blush and look away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually know an arcade like this near where I live and it's really cool.


	3. Chapter 3

Stan met Bill on a Monday, the Losers had invited Bill to the arcade on Tuesday, and now it was Thursday. He had decided to go to the party, he knew he’d be clinging to Richie or Beverly’s sides throughout the entire night. It was to be expected of Stanley Uris. They were the ones that invited him so they had to face the consequences. He didn’t have to get told that he was a stick in the mud, he already knew. He didn’t care though. He liked comfort and safety, he didn’t like change or trying new things. But why was he going to this party then?

Oh yeah, Bill Denbrough. The cute boy that was in his chemistry class, that sat with him and his friends during lunch. The boy who whipped Richie’s butt in Dance Dance Revolution. He had only known the beautiful red-headed boy for four days and he felt like he had known him longer, he just fit into our group so perfectly.

“Stanny Boy, your gay is showing,” Richie teased from his left side. “Ow!” Stan didn’t have to look to know that one of the other Losers had hit Richie for his rude comment. Stan had been staring a little bit too long at Bill, he could admit that. He had asked everyone to watch him try out for the basketball team. Stan knew the other boy was nervous because his stuttering was worse and he would get sweaty just talking about basketball. Mike offered to try out with him if he wanted him to, so Bill agreed. There was that jealous feeling again. But like Stan could offer something like that, he didn’t know a thing about sports and would probably fall on his face. And the sweat.

“Shut up, Richie Rich,” Bev said from the other side of Stan. It must have been Eddie that hit Richie. Ben and Eddie sat behind the three. Stan could only roll his eyes at the bickering, but he didn’t comment on it. He wasn’t going to give Richie the satisfaction nor was he going to admit that he was staring at their new friend. He could admit that but that didn’t mean he would. She grabbed Stan’s hand in hers and gave it a small squeeze.

“You’re so mean to me, my love,” Richie grumbled. “You’re holding hands with her when you could be holding hands with me!” Stan only rolled his eyes. “Aw, come on, Stanny Boy! You know you love me!”

“I’m not holding your hand, Richie.”

“What about a kiss then?”

Stan looked over at him like he was nuts. Richie’s grin was a mix of goofy and mischievous. Stan wasn’t a fan. Before he knew it, Richie was planting a loud, sloppy kiss on his cheek. “Gross!” Stan wiped the saliva from his face before wiping it on a laughing Richie. “You’re so fucking gross, Richie.” Stan stood up and moved to the other side of Beverly so she was in the middle.

“But, baby, the love we have is so strong!”

“Beep beep, Richie,” Eddie grumbled from behind the curly haired loudmouth. “Shut up before you get us kicked out.” It was no secret that Eddie and Richie liked each other but neither was had made a move so far. Stan felt bad for Eddie, he had to watch Richie flirt with all of these people right in front of him. Richie Tozier was indeed an idiot.

What Stan hadn’t noticed was that Bill had seen the whole thing.

* * *

 

Friday went by pretty quickly and it was already time to start preparing for the party. Stan had told his parents that he was spending the night at Richie’s, it wasn’t a complete lie. He would be sleeping over at his house after the party. He would probably be the one driving the Losers home. It didn’t mind it though, he wouldn’t be drinking. He packed a few things for overnight at Richie’s. He double checked, then triple checked. Then checked for a fourth time. Then he was satisfied.

Instead of going to Richie’s house first, he went to Beverly’s. She lived with her aunt who was one of the sweetest people Stan had the pleasure of knowing. Stan had never met Beverly’s father, but he had heard of him. He had drunk himself to death when Beverly was three, but from what he could tell it wasn’t really a loss. He knew it was mean to think such a thing but he had heard enough stories to know it wasn’t a tragic loss.

He greeted her aunt when she opened the door, a small smile on his face as he did so. She told him that Bev was in her room so that’s where he went. He knocked three times before entering. His friend was sat on her bed, makeup already out. She had completed hers and was waiting for him.

“Let’s hurry, Richie won’t let us live it down if we’re late,” she said, patting the bed beside her. He took a seat in front of his friend and shut his eyes. It didn’t take long for her to start putting shadow on his lids. “Speaking of Richie, how was that kiss?” Beverly giggled.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He had to wash his face three times before he felt clean. It wasn’t that he thought Richie had any diseases or anything like that, he just wasn’t a fan of people invading his personal space and that kiss had invaded it. He loved Richie, he was his best friend, but he had a way of getting under Stan’s skin. He wanted to murder the trash mouth sometimes, but then he’d miss him too much. It was a constant struggle.

Beverly was silent for a long moment, probably concentrating on her work. “You were checking Bill out hardcore at tryouts,” she finally said. Stan could feel his face growing warm underneath Bev’s hands. “He’s a cutie patootie.”

Stan laughed at the childish compliment. “Shut up,” he didn’t mean it though. “Do you think he noticed?” Now he was worried that he was being too obvious about his staring. What if Bill thought he was some kind of creep now? He’d never live it down.

“Nah,” Bev moved onto brows. “He was too busy with tryouts, silly.” Stan wanted to believe her but his anxiety made that hard for him to do. There was a voice in the back of his head that kept saying that Bill had seen him staring.

“The bright red lipstick,” Stan whispered.

“Someone’s out to break hearts.”

Stan doesn’t react, he’s too afraid that he’ll mess up his lipstick.

* * *

 

The party is loud. Bodies filled the large house. Not Stan’s scene at all. But it was Richie’s, the trash mouth was already making himself at home. He had grabbed a beer from the kitchen and made his way through the crowd of people. Stan didn’t have to watch him to know he was making his way to the DJ, well a senior with a laptop. Maybe, if they were lucky, Richie would get them kicked out. The curly haired teenager doubted that there were people here crazier than Richie Tozier.

Stan shook his head and parted himself from the group. He went towards the kitchen, it was probably quieter in there than the living room. He grabbed a plastic cup, filled it with ice from a cooler, then filled it with water from the sink. He leaned his back against the sink and took a sip from his drink, eyeing the people around him. Why did he agree to this again? Oh yeah, Bill Denbrough.

None of his friends followed him into the kitchen so he had to try to find them. It was a task easier said than done. Finding Richie in a party was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. He felt ridiculous, he was so out of place. He took a sip from his cup before exiting the kitchen and heading back to the living room.

There were too many drunk teens there for Stan’s liking. He didn’t understand the entertainment in getting drunk and making a fool out of yourself. He watched from the corner of the living room as his classmates danced terribly around the living room. It was only human nature to judge and Stan was good at it. Staying on the sidelines had its benefits, he could observe more and he knew things that others didn’t.

Like right now he was watching Greta, one of the many females in his grade that made his life a living hell, make suggestive glances at Bill from across the room. Bill was oblivious to it all, he was deep in conversation with Ben about something that involved a lot of hand gestures. Stan felt his cheeks heat up at the thought of Greta sinking her claws into Bill. She was pretty and popular, sure, but Bill seemed to have a good head on his shoulders and Stan hoped he wouldn’t fall for Greta’s snakelike charm. He prayed he didn’t.

Stan wasn’t a confident person nor did he ever claim to be one, but as soon as he saw Ben walking away from Bill, he quickly made his way over to him. He couldn’t let Greta get to him first. “Hey, Big Bill,” Stan greeted with a smile. Now that he was closer he saw the beer bottle in Bill’s hand. “Enjoying the party?” Stan took a sip from his water and looked up at his friend from behind his lashes.

“I-It’s entertaining.” He nodded towards a pair of teens grinding against each other, almost knocking over a lamp. “If I start to talk to a vase like I saw some guy doing, cut me off.”

Stan giggled at the joke. “A vase wouldn’t be a great conversational partner, they’d only talk about plants all the time.” He could murder himself for the stupid joke that had left his lips. Bill must have thought it was an idiot.

Stan tried to keep the shock from his face when Bill laughed. “Ar-are you d-drunk, Uris?”

“Nope, I just have a dry sense of humor.”

Bill remained smiling at Stan, which the other boy couldn’t help but smile back at. “I like it. It’s refreshing and cute.”

Cute? He said his humor was cute? Did that mean Bill Denbrough thought he was cute? His face grew warm at the compliment. “Th-thanks, Billy.” Stan then did a very out of character thing of him to do and took the beer bottle from Bill’s hands and lifting it to his lips. It tasted gross, in his opinion, but he drank some of it anyways. He handed it back over to Bill, making sure he didn’t drink all of it since that would be rude.


End file.
